What to do if you enter spiritual realm wrongly

#What to do if you enter spiritual realm wrongly series#

Various studies have found that the prevalence of religious delusions in schizophrenia is very high. How common are religious delusions in schizophrenia? There is an amusing story from the 1980s of two patients meeting for the first time on a psychiatric ward who, after telling each other their story immediately fell into an altercation with one patient accusing the other of being an imposter: вЂњhow can you be Jesus Christ?вЂќ he said, I am Christ. In other cases the sufferer may believe that others around them are devils or witches and may attack them or that they themselves are possessed by devils. 2 This can lead to feelings of intense despondency. Sometimes the person may believe that they are being punished for some unforgivable sin that they have committed earlier in their life or that they are damned to everlasting hell. Sufferers may believe that they are a saint, a prophet or God himself, (which is more common in men), or (in women) that they are a saint or are pregnant with the Messiah. This is because the delusions suffered by people with schizophrenia often have a religious content. It is often said that a person experiencing the first stages of serious schizophrenia is more likely to go to see a priest than a psychiatrist 1. It is often said that a person with schizophrenia will go to see a priest before they see a psychiatrist. In our related information sheets such as Spirituality in Schizophrenia: A Christian Perspective, other writers give their own accounts of how their spiritual and religious beliefs have helped them.

In this page we look at how religious delusions manifest themselves in many people suffering from the effects of psychotic thinking.

#What to do if you enter spiritual realm wrongly series#

In this series of information sheets we look at spirituality from a number of different perspectives both when it becomes a problem as in religious delusions and when it becomes a supportive component of a recovery process. They may find that their spiritual beliefs and practices help them to make sense of the world in a way that they could not when they were suffering from psychotic delusions and that membership of a supportive faith community provides vital fellowship when faced by the everyday problems of living with a serious mental health condition. However for other people religion and spirituality play an important role in their recovery process. For some sufferers religious delusions or intense religiously-based irrational thinking may be a component of their symptoms, for instance they may believe that they have been sent by God to become a great prophet. Religious and Spiritual Delusions in SchizophreniaДЇor many people religion is one way that we understand the world and give meaning to our lives and certainly religion and spirituality play an important part in many peopleвЂ™s experiences of schizophrenia.

Recent Developments in the Treatment of Schizophrenia.

Religious and Spiritual Delusions in Schizophrenia.

What can be done about depression in schizophrenia.

Information for doctors and health workers.

Treatments for Paranoia in Schizophrenia.

Disclosure вЂ“ telling other people about your schizophrenia.